It was a somewhat less restful night for both of us at Scott Fischer Camp.  At Ray's suggestion, we had started taking Diamox the previous evening (12,950 feet), so we hoped this would help to alleviate the altitude sickness symptoms, which both had been having on and off.

We both woke before sunrise.  Big black ravens were wandering all over the place ("in evening dress" per Barney.)  We set off after breakfast for a 4 to 5 hour trek to the Lava Tower Camp.

We learned later that Ramisha and Fredy, bringing up the rear of the party, had encountered a buffalo on the trail.  They were very pleased that it was a solitary buffalo and not a group of animals, which might well have attacked them.  As it was, they moved off the trail, cautiously and slowly proceeded around the buffalo, and it eventually lost interest and went on its way.

We met a couple of other parties as we came to a convergence of trails above the Shira Plateau.  One of the parties, like us, was heading for Lava Tower and the Western Breach, but the others were on their way to Barafu Camp, where they would be staying prior to the climb to the summit starting at midnight.  "Crazy, man!" said Raymond.  He has trekked all the routes on the mountain, and told us that the one we were on is his favorite.

The mountain grew closer and larger through the day, at first shrouded in clouds so that only part of the high ground was visible.  Later the summit cleared a few times, and Ray pointed out the edge of the crater, high and to the right of the massive.  We could clearly see the snow now, stretching down the sides of the mountain, and the rocks of the Western Breach highlighted in gold.

We didn't stop for lunch, the trail meandered up and down, and the vegetation grew sparser as we transitioned from heath/moorland to alpine desert.  By the time we reached camp, there was little vegetation remaining - just a few hardy plants sheltering between the rocks, and a trail that was increasingly loose and dusty.

Pole Pole on the final stretch into Lava Tower Camp.  We washed up and sat down for lunch - Greg couldn't eat much, just some soup and fruit; Barney managed more.  We had heard that one loses one's appetite at higher altitudes (we were now over 14,000 feet), but it was still a surprise when it happened.  We took a nap in our tents after lunch, then went for a short walk to the base of Lava Tower.

The wind picked up in the afternoon, and the mountain, with its steep buttresses, glaciers now visible, and the high crater rim now looked more forbidding.  We tried to figure out what our route was to be in the days to come: over the hillside to Crater Camp, up alongside the glacier, but then what?

After the hike, we had a few games of cards and washed up for dinner.  We had to force ourselves to eat, but we both managed to do justice to a meal of pasta, tomato/vegetable sauce, garlic bread, and fruit.

It was a much colder night than at Fischer Camp.  Greg woke at 1am and put on an extra layer, now wearing thermal underwear and a fleece layer inside the cold-weather bag.  He had a rough night - Diamox is indeed a diuretic.